Climbing shoe

ABSTRACT

Climbing shoe comprising a substantially sock-shaped shoe-upper formed so as to completely cover the foot of the user; a front sole which is fixed on the bottom part of the shoe-upper so as to cover the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot; and a elastomeric-material, front tensioning strip which is fixed on the toe of the shoe-upper and is shaped so as to cover the shoe-upper in the area surrounding the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot; said front tensioning strip being provided with a middle portion that is shaped so as to cover the toe of the shoe-upper in the area surrounding the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot, and with two lateral flaps which prolong on the bottom part of the shoe-upper while converging towards each other up to join to one another at the insole arch region.

The present invention relates to a climbing shoe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is known, climbing shoes normally consist of a leather shoe-upper which is substantially sock-shaped so as to embrace and completely cover the foot, sole of the foot included; a usually slightly spoon-shaped, semi-rigid midsole made of plastic material and which is fixed by gluing directly onto the bottom part of the shoe-upper at the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot; of a flexible sole made of vulcanized-rubber and which is fixed by gluing onto the bottom part of the shoe-upper, over the midsole, to cover the sole of the foot; and of a series of tensioning strips made of highly-elastic rubber and which are fixed by gluing onto the shoe-upper and join/connect to the vulcanized-rubber sole so as to embrace and tighten the foot to the limit of physical pain, while however giving the shoe an increased capacity to contain the foot so as to unload the weight stress onto the toe of the foot in complete safety.

More in detail, most climbing shoes are normally provided with a front tensioning strip, traditionally called “toe-band”, which is located on the toe of the shoe-upper and is substantially U-bent so as to cover the toe of the shoe-upper in the area surrounding the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot, while extending/prolonging also partly on the bottom part of the shoe-upper, between the vulcanized-rubber sole and the midsole; and with a rear tensioning strip, traditionally called “side-band”, which is located on the rear part of the shoe-upper, and is substantially U-bent so as to cover the shoe-upper in the area immediately over the heel of the foot (i.e. the area of the foot where the Achilles tendon attaches to the calcaneum), and then to extend along the two lateral sides of the shoe-upper, up to reach and join the two ends of the front tensioning strip, so as to form a sort of annular-shaped elastic tie which embraces and compresses the foot with containing effect, while bending the toe of the foot downwards.

The vulcanized-rubber sole is therefore located on the bottom part of the shoe-upper so as to partly overlap the front tensioning strip and is directly glued onto the front tensioning strip so as to form a kind of containing cap, which is elastically connected to the heel of the foot through the rear tensioning strip and is structured so as to compress and bend downwards the toes of the foot.

Although operating excellently, the above-described climbing shoes have highlighted a limited adaptability level to the morphology of the foot of the user, thus in some manner reducing the capacity of the climber to perceive, through the toes of the foot, the quality and conformation of the resting point.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore the aim of the present invention to make a climbing shoe which is capable of embracing the foot of the climber in a more complete and effective manner, while at the same time increasing the comfort of the footwear and the capacity to transmit features of the resting point to the climber.

In compliance with the above aims, according to the present invention there is provided a climbing shoe as defined in claim 1, and preferably, though not necessarily, in any one of the claims dependent thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a non-limiting embodiment thereof, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are two perspective and schematic views of a climbing shoe made according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are respective perspective views of the shoe in FIG. 1, with parts removed for clarity; while

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the shoe in FIG. 1, with parts removed for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to figures from 1 to 8, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a climbing shoe that may be particularly advantageously used in climbing indoor climbing walls.

The climbing shoe 1 basically comprises a shoe-upper 2 which is preferably, though not necessarily, made of leather and/or other fabric or breathing synthetic material, and which is substantially sock-shaped so as to embrace and completely cover the foot of the user, sole of the foot included; a front sole 3 made of high-grip vulcanized rubber or other similar elastomeric material (such as, for example, the compound XS Edge or the compound GRIP 2 manufactured by VIBRAM), which is fixed by gluing directly onto the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 and is shaped/structured so as to cover the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a of the sole of the foot substantially up to the border with the insole arch region 4 b; and lastly a plurality of preferably pretensioned, elastic-material tensioning strips which are made of highly elastic rubber or other similar elastomeric material, and are fixed by gluing onto the shoe-upper 2 so as to embrace and tighten the shoe-upper 2 on the foot of the user.

More in detail, the climbing shoe 1 is provided with a front tensioning strip 5 and with a rear tensioning strip 6, both preferably pretensioned.

The front tensioning strip 5 is located on toe 7 of shoe-upper 2 and is shaped so as to cover shoe-upper 2 in the area surrounding the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a of the sole of the foot, also extending/prolonging partly on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, underneath sole 3.

The rear tensioning strip 6, instead, is located on the rear part 8 of shoe-upper 2 and is substantially U-shaped so as to cover the rear part 8 of shoe-upper 2 in the area immediately over the heel of the foot (i.e. the area of the foot where the Achilles tendon attaches to the calcaneum), and then to extend/prolong along the two internal and external lateral sides 9 of shoe-upper 2 up to reaching and joining with the tensioning strip 5.

More in detail, the rear tensioning strip 6 is preferably structured so as to join the front tensioning strip 5 along the lateral sides 9 of shoe-upper 2, close to the border between the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a of the sole of the foot and the insole arch region 4 b.

With particular reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the front tensioning strip 5, in particular, is provided with a middle portion 5 a which is shaped so as to embrace the toe 7 of shoe-upper 2 in the area surrounding the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a of the sole of the foot, while also extending/prolonging partly on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, underneath sole 3; and with two lateral flaps 5 b which prolong on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 while converging towards each other until firmly joining each other at the insole arch region 4 b.

The sole 3 is therefore partly overlapped and firmly fixed to the bottom edge of the middle portion 5 a of the front tensioning strip 5, whereas the two lateral flaps 5 b of the front tensioning strip 5 at least partly cover the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 at the insole arch region 4 b.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, in the example shown, in particular, the two lateral flaps 5 b of the front tensioning strip 5 are preferably shaped/dimensioned so as to overlap each other on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, within the insole arch region 4 b.

The middle portion 5 a of tensioning strip 5, on the other hand, is preferably substantially cap-shaped, so as to cover without interruprion both the sides and the upper part of the toe 7 of shoe-upper 2 so as to also protect the upper part of the toes of the foot.

More in detail, with particular reference to FIG. 2, the shoe-upper 2 is preferably provided with a longitudinal slit 10 which extends along the area of shoe-upper 2 immediately over the instep of the foot, up to reach the upper opening 11 of shoe-upper 2, and is dimensioned so as to allow the user to manually widen the upper part of shoe-upper 2 thus to be able to more easily insert his/her foot inside the shoe 1; and the middle portion 5 a of tensioning strip 5 is preferably dimensioned so as to be locally substantially tangent to the bottom end of the longitudinal slit 10.

Preferably the climbing shoe 1 is moreover provided with a manually-operated, footwear closing system (not shown) which is located on shoe-upper 2 substantially straddling the longitudinal slit 10 and is structured so as to allow the user to manually close the longitudinal slit 10 to tighten shoe-upper 2 on the foot.

In the example shown, in particular, the longitudinal slit 10 of shoe-upper 2 is preferably closed by a piece of breathing fabric 12, whereas the footwear closing system (not shown) may comprise laces and/or Velcro straps of known type.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the rear tensioning strip 6 is instead structured so as to reach and join both the middle portion 5 a and the two lateral flaps 5 b of the front tensioning strip 5.

More in detail, the two ends 6 a of tensioning strip 6 are preferably shaped/structured so as to also prolong on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, along the insole arch region 4 b and optionally also along the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a and/or the talus-calcaneus region 4 c, to partly or completely cover the insole arch region 4 b and optionally also a small portion of the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a and/or of the talus-calcaneus region 4 c.

Preferably, the two lateral flaps 5 b of the front tensioning strip 5 furthermore overlap and join at the two ends 6 a of the rear tensioning strip 6 on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, at the insole arch region 4 b.

More in detail, in the example shown the two ends 6 a of the rear tensioning strip 6 are preferably shaped/dimensioned so as to cover substantially the whole insole arch region 4 b and optionally also a small part of the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a of the sole of the foot.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8, preferably the climbing shoe 1 moreover comprises a rear sole 13 made of preferably vulcanized rubber, Vibram or other similar elastomeric material, which is fixed by gluing onto the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 at the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot, so as to at least partly cover the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot, and is discrete and spaced apart from the front sole 3.

Preferably the rear sole 13 is moreover shaped/structured so as to prolong/extend also slightly within the insole arch region 4 b, so as to overlap at the two ends 6 a of the rear tensioning strip 6.

Additionally, the rear sole 13 is preferably furthermore shaped/structured so as to also extend along the rear part 8 of the shoe-upper 2, so as to cover and protect the back of the calcaneum of the foot, preferably up to the rear tensioning strip 6.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 7 and 8, in the example shown, in particular, rear sole 13 preferably has a substantially ribbon-shaped structure and is located and dimensioned so as to solely cover a narrow strip of the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot, which is located substantially at the center line L of the sole of the foot.

In other words, the rear sole 13 is preferably structured so as to cover only a middle strip of the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot.

With reference to Figures from 1 to 8, preferably the climbing shoe 1 is moreover provided, on each lateral side 9 of the shoe-upper 2, with a protective insert 14 which is made of rubber or other elastomeric material and which is fixed by gluing directly onto shoe-upper 2 and is structured so as to cover the area of shoe-upper 2 between the rear tensioning strip 6 and the rear sole 13.

Preferably, the protective insert 14 is furthermore shaped/dimensioned so as to extend also on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, within the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot, preferably also while inserting underneath the rear sole 13.

In other words, the rear sole 13 is fixed on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 preferably while partly overlapping the protective insert 14 at the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot.

With particular reference to FIG. 2, in the example shown, in particular, the climbing shoe 1 is preferably provided with a single protective insert 14 made of rubber or other elastomeric material, which is shaped/dimensioned so as to cover, at the same time, the rear part 8 of the shoe-upper 2 and the portions of the two lateral sides 9 of shoe-upper 2 that are vertically aligned with the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot, so as to protect both the lateral sides and the back of the calcaneum of the foot.

More in detail, in the example shown the protective insert 14 is preferably substantially cap-shaped and is fixed directly on shoe-upper 2 at the heel, so as to cover the lateral sides 9 and the rear part 8 of shoe-upper 2, preferably substantially up to the tensioning strip 6, and also the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 within the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot.

In the example shown, in particular, the protective insert 14 is preferably shaped/dimensioned so as to cover substantially the whole talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, more or less up to the border with the insole arch region 4 b.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 6, 7 and 8, preferably the climbing shoe 1 is lastly also provided with a substantially ribbon-shaped, medial tensioning strip 16 which is made of rubber or of other similar elastomeric material, and is fixed by gluing onto the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 so as to extend substantially along the center line L of the sole of the foot, from the area of shoe-upper 2 under sole 3 up to the area of shoe-upper 2 under the rear sole 13, thus following an arched trajectory substantially coincident with center line L.

In other words, the medial tensioning strip 16 is glued to the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 underneath the front sole 3 and the rear sole 13, so as to connect the area of shoe-upper 2 under sole 3 to the area of shoe-upper 2 under the rear sole 13 for counteracting/limiting the extension of shoe-upper 2, and thus hold the foot of the user more firmly within the footwear, with the toes of the foot pressed against toe 6 of shoe-upper 2.

The medial tensioning strip 16 thus makes a connection between the toe and the heel of the foot.

The medial tensioning strip 16 furthermore has a width which is always less than the local width of the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 and extends along the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, from the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a of the sole of the foot to the talus-calcaneus region 4 c, passing, in the insole arch region 4 b, over the two lateral flaps 5 b of the front tensioning strip 5 and of the two ends 6 a of the rear tensioning strip 6.

Moreover, with particular reference to FIG. 6, in the example shown the front end of the medial tensioning strip 16 is preferably glued directly onto the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, substantially at the middle of the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a of the sole of the foot, so as to be spaced apart from the middle portion 5 a of tensioning strip 5.

The rear end of medial tensioning strip 16 instead is preferably glued directly onto the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, within the perimeter of the talus-calcaneus region 4 c, preferably more or less at the talus.

Preferably, at the insole arch region 4 b, the middle portion of medial tensioning strip 16 is lastly glued directly onto the two lateral flaps 5 b of the front tensioning strip 5 and onto the two ends 6 a of the rear tensioning strip 6.

Operation of climbing shoe 1 is easily inferable from the above description, and therefore does not require further explanations.

The advantages correlated to the particular shape of front tensioning strip 5 are noteworthy.

The front tensioning strip 5 with the cap-shaped middle part 5 a and with the two lateral flaps 5 b that join to one other on the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2 at the insole arch region 4 b, allows to more effectively wrap and bend/flex downwards the front part of the foot, thus ensuring—during climbing—a more stable resting of the toe of the foot on protrusions.

Furthermore, the cap-like shape of the middle part 5 a of front tensioning strip 5 furthermore increases the containment capacity of the footwear at the toe of the foot, with all the advantages this involves.

Lastly, it is clearly evident that modifications and variants can be made to the above-described climbing shoe 1 without however departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, the medial tensioning strip 16 may extend within the talus-calcaneus region 4 c of the sole of the foot up to reach the calcaneum.

As an option, the climbing shoe 1 may be lastly provided with a semi-rigid midsole (not shown) made of plastic or composite material and which is fixed by gluing directly onto the bottom part 4 of shoe-upper 2, underneath the front sole 3, and has a smaller extension to the tarsal-phalangeal region 4 a of the sole of the foot. Preferably the semi-rigid midsole is furthermore slightly spoon-shaped with the concavity turned outwards, i.e. towards the sole 3.

In another embodiment, the medial tensioning strip 16 may be made of a plastic or composite material of inextensible type, such as for example the extruded polypropylene, the NYLON (polyamide), the PEBAX (polyester-amide) or the FLEXAN PLUS (a composite material made with the multilayer extrusion technique, and based on polyester-based fabrics immersed in a matrix of thermoplastic polymers). 

1. A climbing shoe comprising a substantially sock-shaped shoe-upper formed so as to completely cover the foot of the user; a front sole which is fixed on the bottom part of the shoe-upper so as to cover the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot; and an elastic-material, front tensioning strip which is fixed on the toe of the shoe-upper and is shaped so as to cover the shoe-upper in the area surrounding the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot; the climbing shoe being characterized in that the front tensioning strip is provided with a middle portion which is shaped so as to cover the toe of the shoe-upper in the area surrounding the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot, and with two lateral flaps which prolong on the bottom part of the shoe-upper while converging towards each other up to join to one another at the insole arch region.
 2. The climbing shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the middle portion of the front tensioning strip is shaped so as to prolong also partly over the bottom part of the shoe-upper, underneath the front sole.
 3. The climbing shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the two lateral flaps of the front tensioning strip are dimensioned so as to overlap each other on the bottom part of the shoe-upper, within the insole arch region.
 4. The climbing shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the middle portion of the front tensioning strip is substantially cap-shaped, so as to cover both the two sides and the upper part of the toe of the shoe-upper to protect also the upper part of the toes of the foot.
 5. The climbing shoe according to claim 4, characterized in that the shoe-upper is provided with a longitudinal slit which extends along the area of the shoe-upper immediately over the instep of the foot, up to reach the upper opening of the shoe-upper, and in that the middle portion of the front tensioning strip is dimensioned so as to be locally substantially tangent to the bottom end of said longitudinal slit.
 6. The climbing shoe according to claim 1, characterized by additionally comprising an elastic-material, rear tensioning strip which is fixed on the rear part of the shoe-upper, and is substantially U-shaped so as to cover the rear part of the shoe-upper in the area immediately over the heel of the foot and then to extend along the two internal and external lateral sides of the shoe-upper, up to reach and join the front tensioning strip.
 7. The climbing shoe according to claim 6, characterized in that the rear tensioning strip joins the front tensioning strip along the lateral sides of the shoe-upper, close to the border between the tarsal-phalangeal region of the sole of the foot and the insole arch region.
 8. The climbing shoe according to claim 7, characterized in that the rear tensioning strip is structured so as to reach and join both the middle portion and the two lateral flaps of the front tensioning strip.
 9. The climbing shoe according to claim 8, characterized in that the two ends of the rear tensioning strip are shaped/structured so as to extend on the bottom part of the shoe-upper, along the insole arch region, to cover the insole arch region.
 10. The climbing shoe according to claim 9, characterized in that the two lateral flaps of the front tensioning strip overlap and join the two ends of the rear tensioning strip on the bottom part of the shoe-upper, at the insole arch region.
 11. The climbing shoe according to claim 9, characterized in that the two ends of the rear tensioning strip are dimensioned so as to cover substantially the whole insole arch region.
 12. The climbing shoe according to claim 1, characterized by also comprising a rear sole which is fixed on the bottom part of the shoe-upper at the talus-calcaneus region of the sole of the foot, so as to at least partly cover the talus-calcaneus region of the sole of the foot, and which is discrete and spaced apart from the front sole.
 13. The climbing shoe according to claim 12, characterized in that the rear sole is shaped so as to prolong also within the insole arch region, so as to overlap at the two ends of the rear tensioning strip.
 14. The climbing shoe according to claim 12, characterized in that the rear sole also extends along the rear part of the shoe-upper, so as to cover and protect the back of the calcaneum of the foot.
 15. The climbing shoe according to claim 12, characterized in that the rear sole has a substantially ribbon-shaped structure, and is designed to cover solely the middle strip of the talus-calcaneus region of the sole of the foot.
 16. The climbing shoe according to claim 12, characterized by also comprising a substantially ribbon-shaped, medial tensioning strip which is made of elastomeric material or of inextensible material, and is fixed on the bottom part of the shoe-upper so as to extend substantially along the center line of the sole of the foot, from the area of the shoe-upper under the front sole up to the area of the shoe-upper under the rear sole, following an arched trajectory. 